What does fauvism mean?
Fauvism is an art movement that emerged in France during the first decade of the twentieth century, defined by its radical approach to color. Rather than using pigment to describe reality accurately, the Fauves — 'wild beasts,' as one startled critic called them — deployed saturated, arbitrary hues to convey emotion and sensation. Led by Henri Matisse and André Derain, and including artists such as Maurice de Vlaminck and Raoul Dufy, the group painted with fierce brushwork and flattened forms, often shocking Parisian audiences accustomed to softer Impressionist palettes. Though short-lived as a coherent school, dissolving by about 1908, Fauvism profoundly shaped Expressionism and modern abstract art. Today the term appears mostly in art history and criticism, where it denotes both the movement itself and any painting style marked by exuberant, unnaturalistic color. It remains one of the most vividly named chapters in the story of modernism.
nounA style of painting developed in France in the early twentieth century, characterized by bold, non-naturalistic use of vivid color and vigorous brushwork, associated chiefly with Matisse and Derain.
- The early 20th-century French art movement/style marked by intense non-naturalistic color.
"Her canvases abandoned realistic palette altogether, embracing fauvism in explosions of unbridled crimson and viridian."
"Fauvism flourished briefly in Paris between roughly 1904 and 1908 before its artists dispersed into other movements."
"The exhibition traced how Matisse moved from fauvism toward a more restrained, decorative abstraction."
Rarely used in the plural; the noun is almost always treated as uncountable since it names a single artistic movement or style.
"Scholars have debated whether regional variations truly constitute distinct fauvisms or merely offshoots of the French original."
Critics dubbed these painters 'les fauves' — wild beasts — because they hurled paint like animals let loose in a gallery.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fauvism
The word comes from French 'fauvisme', derived from 'fauve' meaning 'wild beast', ultimately from Latin 'ferus' ('wild'). The name originated around 1905 when critic Louis Vauxcelles, reacting to boldly colored works shown at the Salon d'Automne alongside classical sculpture, described the painters as 'les fauves'. Related English borrowings include 'fauve' and 'Fauvist'.
Related word forms
How fauvism is actually used
Typically capitalized when referring to the historical art movement (Fauvism) and lowercase when describing the style generally; both forms appear. Register is formal/art-historical; the word is rare outside discussions of modern art.